Honda: Alonso engine may need changing

Honda says that Fernando Alonso's power unit was damaged during his collision with Kimi Raikkonen in Austria and may need changing for this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Alonso was eliminated from the race at the Red Bull Ring following heavy contact with Ferrari's Raikkonen and Honda says that his power unit was damaged in the accident.

Should Honda deem that Alonso's power unit needs changing, the Spaniard could face further grid penalties, having been handed a 25 place drop in Austria.

"In Spielberg, Fernando was involved in an accident on the first lap of the race, and Jenson [Button] had a sensor failure issue" said Honda's Yasuhisa Arai.

"As a result, both cars were forced to retire. We have since completed thorough checks of both power units back at the factory, and we believe that Fernando's power unit has sustained damage from the accident, and it may be necessary to change the engine.

"As for Jenson's power unit this weekend, the issue is still under investigation."

Should McLaren decided to install a power unit which has already been used in 2015, Alonso will not face a sanction as it counts as part of his allocation.